Admittedly, not the biggest Tupac Shakur fan here. Far from a ‘Pac hater though – congratulations on this monumental posthumous recognition. Hard to argue the man’s long-lasting influence on music (and athletes, I’m trying to work in some sports), and there’s no denying his uniquely remarkable mix of talents that transcended the rap world decades ago.
There’s no need to argue whether Shakur’s deserving of HoF honors, or whether his discography embodies the true elements of the genre of Rock ‘n Roll. That’s been admirably done already. Besides, Tupac was definitely a rock star.
These types of announcements are bound to be met with some degree of criticism and backlash. The same as with a player being selected to any sport’s Hall of Fame – or even just an All Star or All Pro team. The same with any actor/actress winning an Oscar, or a motion picture winning a best film award. There will be questions.
The problem with Tupac Shakur becoming the first solo rap artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is, in most of the other Hall of Fames the pioneering figure, or example, is typically already enshrined. Alright, so the NFL just inducted its first Hall of Fame punter, Ray Guy, in 2014. However in the rap game, there is a solo rapper that fully deserves to already be a member along with all the other greats recognized in Cleveland, Ohio.
Maybe there is one and a few strong Ps.
No need to keep anybody waiting; LL Cool J is the obvious solo rapper that should already be in the Rock ‘n Roll HoF. Uncle L first hit the ballot in 2010 by virtue of Radio, the legendary Queens emcee’s debut album on Def Jam Recordings, being released 25 years earlier in November of 1985. Let’s not make this an argument that LL Cool J is better than Tupac Shakur – although he is deffer. I will even concede to a ‘Pac Stan, begrudgingly, that Tupac is bigger. However, how can anybody ignore the fact that everything ‘Pac went on to do, LL had already done?
Songs to and for the ladies? “I Need Love” and the anthemic “Around The Girl”.
Multi-platinum albums? Bigger and Deffer and Mama Said Knock You Out.
Dis songs to other rappers? Jack The Rapper.
Songs about California? Going Back to Cali.
I would even argue that Walking With a Panther (1989), with its 20 tracks included on the cassette version, served as a precursor to the career-defining hip hop double album Tupac later popularized with his diamond-selling All Eyez on Me. And lastly, there may have been earlier sightings but we all know who holds the patent for rocking the mic on-stage without a shirt.
In my opinion the two artists left their distinctive mark on the game with vastly different rap styles and lyrical content – although both men did venture into film – but maybe the relationship is tantamount to a few major sports pairings. We all know Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier, but the sport’s later game-changer was Willie Mays whose all-around game was unparalleled until the arrival of the multi-tooled Barry Bonds. In the NBA Dr. J’s aerial prowess was re-imagined by the flight of MJ and his hang-time. Among the game’s center position Kareem Abdul Jabar’s signature post move the graceful sky hook was replaced by Shaquille O’Neal’s punishing get-into-the-body-of-your-man and attack the rim approach. In football Joe Montana’s feats at QB were overshadowed by the arrival of the full-fledged passing era with its empty backfields and Peyton Manning and Tom Brady airing it out on first down. On the rushing side, Gale Sayers’ juke moves paved the way for Barry Sanders’ ankle-breaking wiggles until he found a hidden crease to explode through in a split second.
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I don’t need LL Cool J to be declared as a better rapper than Tupac Shakur, but let’s get him into the HoF while he can still Rock The Bells in all its grandeur.
The few strong Ps…. (that in all likelihood have no chance).
Big Daddy Kane. Speaking of Gale Sayers. The argument for Kane is probably hamstrung by his questionable longevity in the game. Even the most ardent Antonio Hardy fans began moving on to the incoming class of rappers by the third and/or fourth LPs from King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal – the latter being Prince of Darkness in 1991. Kane arguably introduced or perfected a lot of the aspects that make today’s rappers stand out from one another – punchlines, the entendre, fast deliveries, metaphors, and a few more. After BDK rappers couldn’t just rap in a “straight line” anymore, greatness required emcees bend words to fit in ways they were never intended.
Rakim. One could argue that at The R’s apex he was part of one of hip hop’s greatest duos in Eric B. & Rakim. That’s a small technicality in my opinion, but likely a detail that can’t be overlooked. Rakim’s body of work also boasts of just a handful of albums over a 5-7 year period. Rakim released projects with Eric B. from 1987-1992, this small window of time was commonplace for the era, and from this point forward various circumstances uncontrollably affected Rakim’s output. Along with Big Daddy Kane, Rakim forever altered lyricism in the genre, but where BDK began bending lines with charisma and wit; Rakim and his serious nature and vocal tone shifted rapping to a completely new paradigm that challenged even the deepest of listeners and their understanding of fields such as socio-economics, (geo) politics, spirituality, philosophy, science and love. I’m sure I missed a few more.
[Shameless public announcement: Both of the aforementioned artists are widely regarded as some of the best to ever pick up a mic. Off the top of my head, without listening to their entire catalogues, I can’t recall a total of 5 usages of the N-word (or even MF) between the both of them.]The last two rappers of the Ps – the possibles in case you’re not a fan of card-playing – should not be grouped together but their odds of HoF status are increasingly longer, for much different reasons. The first artist, Kurtis Blow, is generally from the same era as current R&RHoF members Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Blow was the first solo rapper to ink a deal with a major record label when he signed with Mercury back in 1979. However, despite releasing gold-selling classic records “Christmas Rappin” and “The Breaks” in the early 80s, you’d be hard-pressed to hear a full-length Kurtis Blow project ever mentioned during a debate about greatest hip hop albums.
The second artist is the Bronx-bred Blastmaster KRS-ONE, who is a peer of Public Enemy – another current member of the Rock & Roll HoF. Frankly, there may not be a better ambassador for hip hop than the genre’s Teacha. KRS not only raps, he penned the books The Science of Rap in 1996 and the Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument in 2009. Lastly, in a side-by-side comparison 2Pac’s 1991 debut album 2Pacalypse Now featured a Black Panther Party influenced social consciousness from the first ballot HOF’er; KRS-ONE released his Malcolm X themed By All Means Necessary masterpiece in 1988, a year considered hip hop’s greatest by Rolling Stones. Inclusion in an institution such as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is clearly of no concern to KRS, as he said it himself in his single “My Philosophy”: “Teachers teach and do the world good.”
I have no argument against Tupac being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, in terms of all-time record sales there is only one rapper, a slim kid that hails from Detroit, that has outsold ‘Pac. In fact, it gets even more difficult for KISS’ Gene Simmons to argue Tupac doesn’t belong in the R&RHoF when his name currently sits one slot above Bob Dylan on the RIAA‘s list of total album sales. If that name isn’t relevant enough, rockers Bon Jovi and Queen are three and four slots beneath ‘Pac, respectively. As for LL Cool J’s induction into the R&RHoF I’d bet hip hop’s self-proclaimed GOAT gets into Cleveland well before baseball’s Pete Rose gets into Cooperstown. But, if Rakim and Big Daddy Kane never make it in I guess you truly had to be a Hit King. [wysija_form id=”11″]
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